When news got out that Kim Kardashian West named her new nude shapewear brand after the kimono, the internet spared no time in commencing an onslaught of criticism. With accusations of cultural misappropriation, netizens used the hashtag #KimOhNo to condemn her for trying to capitalise on a custom she didn’t seem to understand. Her critics were all the more outraged when they found out that last May, she had even filed for ‘Kimono Intimates’ to be trademarked.
On Friday June 28, the mayor of Kyoto weighed in on the matter as well. In his open letter to Kardashian West, Kadokawa Daisaku described his desire for kimono culture to be preserved and respected because of its significance to the Japanese society.
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‘Kimono is a traditional ethnic dress fostered in our rich nature and history with our predecessors’ tireless endeavors and studies, and it is a culture that has been cherished and passed down with care in our living,’ he wrote, asserting that the kimono symbolises the beauty, spirit and values of Japanese people, and urged her not to monopolise on a precious part of Japanese heritage that is also loved dearly by people outside of Japan. He closed the letter inviting her to Kyoto to ‘experience the essence of kimono culture’ so she could better understand why the kimono was so important to him and the rest of Japan.
Indeed, the rich history and cultural importance behind the kimono gives it a special ring that is understandably a more appealing name for Kim Kardashian’s shapewear line than perhaps calling it what it is – expensive nude spanx.
Though Kardashian West had previously defended the name, the online backlash coupled with the Kyoto mayor’s letter had finally convinced her to not only halt the trademarking process of ‘Kimono Intimates’, but also drop the name entirely for something else. The Beverly Hills mogul announced her decision through her Instagram just last night (July 1).
According to Kyoto major Kadokawa Daisaku, Japan is working to have the kimono registered as a UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage to better protect its culture.
Want to learn more about the kimono? You can read up on its heritage here, and then find out where you can buy one for yourself in Tokyo.